Pixie Campbell loves to sleep. But after working in the
fast-paced clothing manufacturing industry for 10 years, Campbell
struggled to find time for a mid-afternoon nap. To remedy that, she
founded Napcake, her homebased Pine Mountain, California, business
that manufactures pajamas for women who want to live their lives in
a playful, restful manner.

Using her extensive knowledge of clothing manufacturing,
Campbell, 29, began her dream-inspired business in June 2000. She
currently sells her six sets of American-made pajamas via
wholesale, retail and her Web
site, and her sales have tripled in the past six months. Today
she talks with Entrepreneur.com on why taking naps has helped her
business-and why they can do the same for you.

Entrepreneur.com: What made
you want to start Napcake?

Pixie Campbell: I worked in
a pretty fast-paced industry in manufacturing in L.A. for about 10
years, manufacturing anything from vinyl club clothes to ball
gowns, so I started Napcake because the working hours were so
intense and I was so stressed out all the time. None of the
companies I worked for was really [forward-thinking]-in that some
[emerging] companies are so great about letting people bring their
kids and dogs to work and allowing people to take breaks and things
like that. And I really wanted to start a company that had its
foundation based in those values and philosophies.

Also, for me personally, I had a really hard time just taking a
nap and resting when I was tired. I had this industry mentality of
getting up, going to work, being there for 12 hours a day, coming
home, crashing out and then just never really taking care of
myself. So the self-care and self-nurturing emerged.

"Technically and medically speaking, I think
we're an under-rested society. And I think if you're going
to be productive in work-at least if I want to be productive in
work-you've got to be well-rested."

Entrepreneur.com: Why is
taking naps good for business?

Campbell: Technically and
medically speaking, I think we're an under-rested society. And
I think if you're going to be productive in work-at least if I
want to be productive in work-you've got to be well-rested. The
funny thing is, Napcake was conceived in sort of a half-sleep dream
while I was indulging in naps, which is great, because I have a lot
of creative ideas when I'm napping. If I find myself being
overwhelmed with work, or I just can't get an idea, then I just
take a nap, and it usually comes to light.

Entrepreneur.com: How do you
go about advertising Napcake?

Campbell: I haven't done
any targeted e-mail or anything like that-I'm looking into it.
And if I wanted to spend advertising dollars, I would spend it on
beefing up my Web site traffic. Last year I advertised in Martha
Stewart Wedding and in one national magazine. I only did one
run because the company was on such a strict budget, and it was a
very expensive ad. Other than that, I haven't advertised
anywhere. Basically, it's word-of-mouth. I've been pushing
that. It's great. People aren't just receiving your
nebulous ad or looking at your ad. They're actually hearing
about it because they want to or they're connected in some
way.

Entrepreneur.com: Your Web
site mentions that your mission is to "play wildly, rest
often, live consciously and responsibly, and enjoy the world's
many beauties." Why do you think it's so important to
enjoy your downtime?

Campbell: I think downtime
for most people is a rarity. And if you don't enjoy your
downtime, then you'll find your life just slipping by you.